Once again, Nick Joaquin!

Nick would’ve been proud and happy. And boisterous. Not that San Mig beer flowed. Red and white wine did, courtesy of Manny O. — the international prize-winning label passionately crafted by Manny Osmeña of Cebu. Its Sumiller from the red grapes of Yecla, Spain would’ve met with NJ’s approval, ad he would’ve crooned his Cole Porter adaptation of “You’re the Top!”

The occasion was the 2012 Nick Joaquin Literary Awards rites held last Thursday evening at Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati, where hefty prizes were given for the best short stories that appeared over the past year in Philippine Graphic magazine.

Founding publisher Ambassador Antonio L. Cabangon Chua said it best if pithily among the speakers on stage: “Nick Joaquin is the Graphic, and he will always remain as the Graphic.”

True. Nick was its editor in chief to his last days, only eight years ago. And it was an inspired decision by its current EIC, Joel Pablo Salud, to devote an entire issue of the only national weekly that appears with a regular literary section to the memory of the compleat writer whom journalists and readers also knew as Quijano de Manila.

The Special Collector’s Edition, Graphic’s issue dated September 24, 2012, came out last Monday, heralding the awards night that was also so appropriately scheduled on the eve of the 40th painful memory of Martial Law.

On stage at the jampacked library, Graphic’s associate editor Alma Anonas-Carpio, a.k.a. Jerri, read an excerpt from New York-based Ninotchka Rosca’s account of how Nick made Pete Lacaba’s release a condition for his acceptance of the National Artist for Literature award.

The next generation: Sofia Rodrigo, Sabrina Anonas and Alessandra Anonas

Cupcakes on the dessert table prepared by Ilustrado restaurant had white chocolate tablets with Nick Joaquin’s mug — not the one he usually held in his hand, containing a frothy brew, but his actual visage. Another edition had the picture of his old typewriter. “Eating the father” was never this good.

For the second straight year, Pru Life UK donated the cash prizes for the top three winners, at P50,000, P30,000, and P10,000, along with life insurance accounts. These were complemented by an Aspire 14” laptop with Core i3 processor from Acer for the top prizewinner, while storage solution specialists EMC sponsored three ruggedized iOmega eGo Black Belt l external hard drives (500GB capacity) for each of the winners.

Heartwarming, too, was the tale behind the choices for this year’s awards.

It was about a fortnight ago that the judges — Dr. Gémino H. Abad, Susan S. Lara, and this writer — met for final deliberations over an excellent lunch at Aracama in The Fort Strip. The Graphic editors had pre-screened all the short stories that gained publication over the past year, numbering about 50. Of these, 25 were selected to make up the longlist. And these were what we judges went through.

For the most part, we had cone up with similar choices for our respective shortlists, which we had agreed to cut down to five. All in all, seven stories emerged in contention — and they all pointed to the fact that this year’s crop of published short fiction was much of an improvement from that of the recent past.

One piece stood out in its story-telling: a charming fantasy tale set in London a century ago, involving kids whose uncle told them stories. The basic premise is that it was these stories that J.M. Barrie put together for Peter Pan.

The question was whether a story with nary a Filipino element in terms of substance or theme could be considered for a prize. We asked Graphic EIC Joel Salud if there were any contest stipulations regarding the matter. None. Thus were we freed for the judgment that since we were choosing the best stories, this one was the best in terms of pure narrative.

Then we found out that the First Prize would be given posthumously. Its author, Raul Rodrigo, had passed away last January.

Raul was well-known as an incisive columnist in a daily long since defunct. He had authored several books, most of which involved the Lopez family behind ABS-CBN and Meralco. His demise was totally unexpected and too early.

“The Lost Boy” had in fact been written while Raul was still in college, in Ateneo. It was Rofel Brion who resurrected the manuscript and handed it to fellow Atenean Sarge Lacuesta, himself a prizewinning fictionist. Sarge in turn passed it on to the Graphic for possible publication. 

Raul’s widow Nancy and their daughter Sofia stood in his place onstage to accept the well-deserved award.

Second-placer Michelle Tan, for her story “Her Afternoon Lives: an exercise in control)” also had proxies accepting her award: her proud parents. The young Michelle had won a writing scholarship at the literarily famous University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. And she had to fly off on the very eve of the NJ Awards night.

Third Prize went to last year’s first-placer, Thomas David Chavez for “Ecstasy at Barranca, a Tale of the Baroque.” This time he didn’t have to fly in from Beijing where he used to work, as Thomas now teaches literature in Mindanao, the setting for his latest winning story.

For the judges, it became doubly gratifying to find out that the 2nd- and 3rd-prize winners were Fellows in the Silliman University Writers Workshop in Dumaguete only last May. Additionally, Michelle had been a Fiction class student of mine in Ateneo.

Providing entertainment numbers at the awards rite were poet-divo Mike Coroza, with three kundiman numbers, and artist cum Bulletin columnist Danny Castillones Sillada on harmonica.  

Ayala Foundation president Luli Heras de Leon joined Graphic publisher Anthony Cabangon and EIC Salud in awarding the winners. Travel bags as raffle prizes were won by several other writers, including Charlson Ong, Johanna Fernandez, Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta and Sarge Lacuesta (such a lucky couple, I suppose because their son’s named Lucky). Michelle Tan’s parents also came away as a raffle-winning couple.

Nick Joaquin was represented by his niece Charo Joaquin Villegas, with husband Bing Villegas.

As the program drew to a close, it was our turn to get lucky, with Mike Coroza serenading everyone a capella with Matud nila, soon to be joined by fellow divos Charlson Ong and Pete Lacaba.

What turned into community singing also drew participation from Jimmy Abad, Jing Hidalgo, RayVi Sunico, Lila Shahani, Mac McCarty, T.J. Dimacali, the lovely sisters Che and Chen Sarigumba, Jerri’s equally lovely daughters and “twin towers,” Sabrina and Alessandra, and that loveliest of guests, food stylist and Graphic contributor Ditas Antenor, who had a wonderful time styling the Nick Joaquin cupcakes for photo memorabilia.